New Mexico Tech Interferometer/Sferic System Notes for June, 2000

Universal Date/Time

JDay

Date

Time

Comments

153

01-Jun

0:48

Severe thunderstorm warning for Cheyenne County. Severe storm near Cheyenne Wells indicated by measured wind gusts >65 mph. All storms are at ~low elevation (<=10 degrees). There is a line of storms to SW and a closer, more recent (formed ~0:30 UT), line to NE.

Status report: Balloon ascended into anvil and is now on descent. Successful T-28 penetration earlier; now heading back to airport. Lightning is currently at a good elevation angle for interferometer.

22:46:40

Gust front hit

22:55

Buffer is filling often. Some lightning is lasting >1 sec. Also, some lightning is reaching up to >45 elevation (good for intercomparison). Flash rate is still very active: >1 per second!

23:05:06

+CGs?

23:11

Lightning is still at high elevation angle. Sharp recoil (fast) events continue to be evident.

23:17:00

Paused display (hoping to increase data rate). Buffer is filling every ~20 secs on DSP (when there are long flashes or multiple flashes back-to-back)

23:34:45

Saw CG (+?) to WNW. Had a rather strange loopy (up/down) nature.

23:43

Most lightning is at low elevation, though a few channels are reaching up to ~30 deg. elev.. Horizontally extensive lightning emanating from storm which is now ~E to ~ESE? or from cell SSW? Discharges spanning up to ~180 degrees of horizon.

Storms formed along dry-line to NE of main STEPS region. Runtime errors in interferometer data acquisition code on Sun Ultra were fixed sometime today. The Sun Ultra 1 was used to acquire data for the first time!